


all i ever knew (only you)

by sopaloma



Series: all i ever knew (only you) [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, The Office AU nobody asked for, and gratuitous workplace flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 03:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopaloma/pseuds/sopaloma
Summary: It's like this every day - both of them watching, both of them pining - and Archie is sick of it.The Office AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title from Yazoo, "Only You"
> 
> In this story, Betty and Jug are the Jim and Pam of their office, but the angsty goodness was inspired by their sadder, more cynical British counterparts Tim and Dawn. 
> 
> If you haven't seen the UK Office I do recommend it - Tim and Dawn are funny and heartbreaking and so sweet. But it's not required viewing in order to understand this.

For the fourth time that afternoon Archie sees Jughead watching her intently from his desk. She is completely oblivious, typing away at her computer, and Jughead eventually drops his gaze with a sigh.

For a while he thought it was one-sided on Jughead's part, an unrequited crush on the hot receptionist, but he's seen the longing looks Betty sends Jughead's way. He's not sure that she's even aware of her feelings but it's written all over her face.

It's like this every day - both of them watching, both of them pining - and Archie is sick of it.

"You should ask her to go for a drink, man."

Jughead frowns. Usually he would ignore his best friend, refusing to talk about this at work, but they're the only people in the break room so no one is around to hear about his little crush.

 _As if the rest of their co-workers aren't already aware,_ Archie thinks, _he's not as subtle as he thinks he is._

"She's engaged. I'm not gonna do that."

"Yeah, but her and Chuck have been engaged since high school and they're still not married. If it hasn't happened in the last seven years it never will. And besides, Chuck's the worst."

Jughead agrees - Chuck is the _worst_ \- but he's not about to say that.

"You don't know that," Jughead argues. "And that logic still doesn't change the fact that she's in a relationship. I have no interest in asking out unavailable women."

He has a point but Archie still thinks this whole thing is dumb. They're both so clearly into each other.

"Well at least you're not denying it anymore. Although I do miss hearing your shitty excuses when you would try to convince me you were just friends."

"We _are_ just friends," Jughead insists.

"But you don't wanna be."

Even if Archie is right, it doesn't matter what he wants. Betty is in a relationship and has been for a long time. Yes, they flirt all the time and she helps him prank Dilton even more than Archie does, but for her it's just harmless office banter. Maybe Jughead does have a thing for her but he's not stupid enough to misconstrue her teasing and flirting for anything more than that.

"It's not gonna happen, okay? So just drop it."

So Archie changes the subject, doesn't bring up Betty again. He doesn't know what else he can say to help him - Jughead won't ask her out but also has no interest in dating anyone else. Sooner or later his best friend is going to get his heart broken.

 

* * *

 

Betty giggles as she retrieves the container from the break room fridge. The green contents inside jiggles as she places it onto the table.

"I made this last night so it should be set now. It turned out pretty good."

Jughead laughs, poking the jell-o and watching it wobble, the stapler trapped inside.

"This is awesome, Betts. You're best idea yet."

She beams in pride. It had been a little tricky to get the jell-o to hold the weight of the stapler but Jughead had done the hard part - actually retrieving Dilton's precious stapler from his desk drawer.

Chuck had asked what she was doing when she had been making the jell-o last night. He wasn't nearly as amused when she told him their plan, asking her why she didn't have anything better to do at work than hatch schemes with Jughead, and Betty had faltered, wondering if the whole idea was dumb and juvenile.

Of course it _is_ dumb and juvenile, but that's why it's so fun.

 _And that's why they do this_ , she thinks as she watches Jughead's gleeful expression fondly, _to find a bit of enjoyment, a bright point in the day, at the world's most boring job._

Although sometimes she wonders if it's pranking Dilton with Jughead that is the bright point, or if it's Jughead himself.

They leave the jell-o on Dilton's desk and wait in the break room for the fallout. It doesn't take long.

"Jones!" Dilton shouts angrily and Jughead laughs like a little boy, hiding behind the break room couch.

Dilton appears in the doorway, face red. "Where is he, Cooper? And don't lie to me! I know you know, you always do."

Betty isn't sure what he means by that. She and Jughead don't spend _that much_ time together, do they?

She holds up her hands in surrender. "I honestly don't know," she insists but Jughead's uncontrollable laughter gives him away. Dilton lunges behind the couch, dragging Jughead out by his arm.

They listen to Dilton lecture them for thirty minutes about their total lack of respect for his property, and therefore, their lack of respect for him as a person. It's a speech they've heard before and they spend the entire time trying to hide their laughter behind their hands. They honestly wouldn't do this to Dilton if it wasn't so easy to get a rise out of him.

They're still talking about it at the end of the day, reminiscing about the sight of Dilton with his hands covered in green jell-o, desperately trying to retrieve his stapler at it slipped through the slime and his fingers.

"You really outdid yourself today, Betts."

She smirks, tipping an imaginary hat. "Why thank you, good sir."

When he laughs his whole face lights up and Betty thinks, not for the first time, that he really is handsome. He never talks about any girlfriends or going on any dates and she wonders why. He's sweet and funny and cute - he'd probably be a great boyfriend.

Of course, those are all objective thoughts. _Purely objective._ She never thinks of Jughead like that; he's her friend.

She startles as two arms suddenly wrap around her waist and lips press against her neck.

"You're not trying to steal my girl, are you, Jones?" Chuck asks over her shoulder.

Betty's sure she's imaging the flush on Jughead's neck as he stutters and insists that he isn't.

Chuck barks out a laugh. "Relax, Jones. I'm just messing with ya. Babe, you ready to go?"

He punctuates his last sentence with a light smack to her ass.

"Chuck!" she yells, pushing him away.

She hates when he does stuff like that in front of people. It makes her feel like shit. She's too embarrassed to look at Jughead, she doesn't want to see his reaction to her fiancé acting like a Neanderthal.

"Come on, Betty. Don't be like that!" He wraps his arms around her again, kisses her cheek. "I just want to get home and watch the game. Can we go already?"

Betty sighs, her brows pinching at the prospect of another night in front of the TV watching a sport she doesn't even like.

"Whatever. Let's go." She turns to Jughead, face apologetic, although she doesn't know what she's apologising for. Her stupid boyfriend? The interruption in their conversation? "I'll see you tomorrow, Jug."

He salutes her with two fingers. "Later, Betts. Enjoy the game!"

He's smirking in amusement and she pokes her tongue out at him before she turns away.

 

* * *

 

The new girl is nice and she picks up the job quickly, but Jughead is still annoyed that he has to babysit her for her first two weeks.

"She's pretty cute," Archie comments when he and Jughead are gathered around Betty's desk, snacking on the cupcakes Betty brought in that morning.

Sabrina is sat at the far end of the office with Dilton and they watch, sympathetic, as he tells her the rich and fascinating history of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

"She's cool. Way too cool to be stuck in this hellhole."

"Hey!" Betty protests. "We're also stuck in this hellhole and I for one happen to be very cool."

Jughead laughs around a mouthful of cupcake. "Okay, Betts."

Archie rolls his eyes - he knows where this is going. More of Betty and Jughead's classic _'we're just co-workers, promise'_ flirty banter.

"We should ask her to come out with us on Friday," he suggests, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Uh... we don't really know her, Arch. She may not want to come with us."

Archie rolls his eyes again. "That's why we should invite her out - extend the olive branch, get to know her better."

Jughead and Betty are both laughing at him.

"'Extend the olive branch'," Jughead repeats, using air quotes. "I've never heard you say that before in my life. You pick that up from Veronica?"

"Shut up, dude. You know it's the right thing to do. You should ask her."

It turns out Sabrina would like to go out with them, so when work ends that Friday, she tags along as they head to their favorite local bar.

Most of the Dunder Mifflin people are there, including their boss, all ready to unwind at the end of the week. Jughead orders two beers for him and Archie and a glass of wine for Sabrina. Betty is off with Chuck and the rest of the warehouse workers.

Jughead 'extends the olive branch' and strikes up a conversation with Sabrina. As it turns out, she's pretty awesome - funny and sarcastic, and almost as cynical as Jughead. They really hit it off when they discover their similar taste in music and he hasn't found it this easy to talk to a girl in a while. He can see Archie watching them from the corner of his eye, no doubt matchmaking the two of them in his head. Jughead can't wait until Veronica arrives and distracts him.

He hasn't seen Betty since they arrived, Chuck occupying most of her time. It sucks but this is how it usually goes when everyone hangs out together. Still, he can't help but seek her out, occasionally catching her eye and offering her a smile.

They're currently interacting silently across the crowd. She mimes holding her two fingers to her head and pulling an imaginary trigger, and he laughs. Chuck and his warehouse buddies make great conversation, no doubt.

"What's the deal with you two?" Sabrina asks, watching the exchange.

Jughead tears his eyes from Betty, his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I just wondered if you two were together. I mean, I was surprised when I met Betty's fiancé tonight but you wouldn't be the first co-workers to have an affair."

Jughead's mouth is hanging open and he wants to say something, tell Sabrina that she's being ridiculous and _of course they aren't having an affair_ , but he can't seem to find his words.

"Oh! Okay - I'm guessing I was wrong. Sorry." She looks sheepish. "It's just every time I look over at work you're always at her desk laughing together or she's sat at the end of yours, conspiring against Dilton. You seem really... close."

"She's one of my best friends," Jughead reasons. "It's not like that."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed," she apologises. She takes a sip of her wine and looks up at him beneath her eyelashes. "So does that mean you're single?"

Jughead swallows. He's only had one serious girlfriend and he's not exactly a 'ladies man', but even he recognizes that Sabrina is hitting on him.

"Uh, yeah," he confirms, his mouth dry.

He doesn't know what to do - should he let her down gently? Does he _want_ to let her down? He hasn't been interested in anyone but Betty for a long time now and that's clearly not going anywhere. Sabrina is pretty and nice, and they have a lot in common. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing.

A small smile pulls at her lips. "Good to know," she murmurs before taking another sip.

Veronica arrives, stopping to chat with Betty for a few minutes, before ordering a gin and tonic and dropping herself into Archie's lap.

She smiles at Sabrina, offering her hand to shake. "I'm Veronica Lodge, the love of Archie's life."

Jughead rolls his eyes as Sabrina introduces herself, obviously amused by Veronica's dramatics. She's always made quite the impression.

Veronica is interning for a fashion magazine in the city and always has a new story about the latest glamorous party she's attended or famous supermodel that she's met. Jughead doesn't have much interest in the fashion aspect of her job but he is jealous that Veronica is having her writing published and getting paid for it. He tries to freelance on the side for some small magazines but he never gets to dedicate as much time as he would like to writing. Yet another reason why he hates his job.

"Jug, I've told you before - if you give me some copies of your work I can show it to my boss. They're always looking for new talent."

They've had this conversation so many times. He appreciates Veronica's offer but he can't see how it would benefit him.

"Ronnie, I'm not really looking to write about designer shoes and the latest beauty trends. I don't think my voice is what they would be looking for."

"We all have to start from somewhere."

She's right, but he still doesn't think that a fashion magazine is where he should begin his potential career in journalism.

Jughead excuses himself to go for a smoke. Conversations about his failed attempts at becoming a writer always make him uncomfortable and embarrassed. He knows Veronica is only trying to help but he really needs a cigarette to calm himself down.

He hears her before he sees her. Crouched on the floor, back to the brick exterior of the bar, Jughead finds Betty crying into her hands. His cigarette falls from his mouth as he rushes over to her.

"Hey! Hey, Betts. What's wrong?" he asks softly, pulling her hands from her face.

Her nose and cheeks are red, and her eyelashes are stuck together. Her usually sleek ponytail has come loose and she has mascara smudged beneath her eye.

She's still the prettiest girl he's ever seen.

"It's nothing," she mumbles, catching tears with her finger. "Don't worry about me, Juggie. Just go back inside."

"No, I'm not leaving you like this. Tell me what happened." He's holding one of her hands in his, stroking her skin with his thumb in what he hopes is a soothing manner.

"Chuck said something stupid - you know what he's like - and all of his friends started laughing. I was really embarrassed and angry, and we had this huge fight. He told me I was too sensitive, always taking everything too seriously, and then he went home and now I don't have a ride."

Jughead sighs and wraps his arm around her. He knows Chuck, knows what an asshole he can be, so it's not hard to imagine the kind of thing he would have said to make Betty so upset, just to impress all of his work buddies.

"Men are dogs, Betty," are the comforting words he comes up with and thankfully, Betty laughs. "I'm sure everything will work itself out, it always does. He probably didn't mean what he said. You just need to talk to him when you've both cooled down."

It's the type of friendly advice he should be giving her because that's what he is - her friend. But if he was honest with her he'd tell her to leave him, to break up with Chuck and walk away because he's not good enough for her and he's proven that again and again.

She sniffles and scrubs beneath her eyes, collecting the mascara there. She stands on shaky legs, tightening her ponytail and he rises with her.

"I guess you're right." She sighs. "Sorry for crying on you. You should be having fun, not listening to my problems."

"Come on, Betty. You know it's not like that."

She nods slowly. "You're a good friend, Juggie." She rises up on her toes and presses a soft kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

She's close, too close, and he can smell her perfume and feel her cold breath on his cheek. He steps back slightly before he does something stupid. She's vulnerable right now and she's dealt with enough assholes for one night.

"Lets get you a cab," he says, and she smiles, wrapping her coat tight around her body.

 

* * *

 

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't noticed the change in Jughead and Sabrina's relationship. Ever since that night at the bar they've been getting closer, more comfortable with each other. She sees the hand Sabrina places on his forearm and the way his arm rests across the back of her chair when he helps her with something. Casual, familiar touches.

Betty's a grown woman and can identify when she's jealous, but she's also very good at lying to herself and that's exactly what she's going to do.

Although that's difficult when Sabrina starts helping Jughead prank Dilton. It shocks her the first time it happens - that's _their_ thing and she doesn't like it one bit.

She knows she's being snappy with Jughead but she can't help it. Pranking Dilton with Sabrina was crossing a line - he should realise that. But if the confused look on his face at her tone is anything to go by, he clearly doesn't.

"What's up with you?" he finally asks one day, leaning his forearms across the top of her desk.

She refuses to meet his eye. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been ignoring me all week and when I try to talk to you, you give me one word answers!"

"I'm surprised you noticed," she says coolly, "what with all of the pranks you and Sabrina have been coming up with."

He's silent for a moment and when she looks up at him she finds an infuriating smirk on his face.

"Are you jealous, Betts?"

She scoffs. "Please."

"Well then I suppose you wouldn't want to help me with my next scheme - it's a doozy."

She arches an eyebrow, intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"

Getting the items into the vending machine is much easier than they expected. The maintenance guy couldn't care less and is happy to hand over the keys as long as they return them by the end of the day. They spend their lunch break putting all of Dilton's favorite stationary into the machine.

He is, as predicted, furious, but Betty's notes that there is some resignation there as well, and he cools down much quicker than usual. Maybe one of these days he'll work up the courage to prank Jughead right back. Jughead should watch his back.

After yet another successful pranking, things pretty much go back to normal. Jughead and Betty are scheming together once again, and although she doesn't exactly like Sabrina joining them occasionally, she allows it. She's a nice girl and she clearly has a crush on Jughead. She's not going to interfere with that.

And so, for a while, everything is the same way it's always been. Until Betty fucks up.

On Valentine's Day, Betty sets up a kissing booth at her desk to raise money for a local dog shelter. She wears her brightest red lipstick and a shirt to match and charges a dollar for a kiss on the cheek and two dollars for a peck.

Chuck reluctantly pays two dollars and moans that he shouldn't need to pay to kiss his own fiancé. It's for a good cause so Betty doesn't feel too guilty.

She's surprised when Dilton pays for a peck - she hadn't thought he liked her all that much - but if the blush on his cheeks is anything to go by, he might like her a lot more than she originally thought.

Archie pays for a kiss on the cheek and gives her one in return and even Sabrina adds a dollar to her fund. They're not exactly friendly, Jughead being the only thing they really have in common, so she appreciates the donation.

She's been waiting for Jughead to approach all day. By 3pm he's usually stopped by her desk multiple times to chat, make fun of Dilton, steal one of the cookies she's brought in that day, or even just to ask her if she wants a coffee. But today he hasn't stopped by a single time, until he finally walks over looking sheepish.

"I was beginning to think you were avoiding me."

"I'm sure you haven't been starved for company," he replies, looking pointedly at her Kissing Booth sign.

She laughs. "You could say that."

Something on her desk catches Jughead's eye and she moves to cover it with her hands.

"What is that?" he asks, peering over her desk.

She feels her face heat up. "It's nothing, I was just doodling."

He tries to pull her hand away. "It looked really good, Betts. Let me see."

She reluctantly hands over the piece of note paper.

"'Cooper's Cupcakes'?" he reads aloud, a question in his tone.

She shrugs. "I always wanted to open a bakery when I was in high school, but opening a store is expensive and Chuck didn't want me to borrow any money from my parents."

Jughead's hold on the paper tightens, creasing the paper slightly. The drawing is the same as always - the curly lettering exactly how she imagined the sign for her bakery would look.

He looks up at her, his expression strangely serious. "Betty, as someone who has tried _many_ of the things you have baked, you've got to know that you would be amazing at this. What the hell are you doing working as a receptionist?"

She frowns, slightly insulted. "Because I need money to pay for food and my bills? I didn't realise you thought so little of receptionists."

"You know that isn't what I meant." He takes her hand in his. "It's just - you're amazing, Betty, and you're meant for things much greater than the reception desk of Dunder Mifflin."

She bites her lip, feeling suddenly emotional. "Well things don't always work out the way you expect them to," she says softly, pulling her hand away.

She takes a deep breath and tries to put on a smile, although she knows it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Anyway... where's my donation, Jones? Don't tell me you're gonna hold out on the poor puppies." She throws in a pout for good measure. "I'll even give you a friendly discount - a peck for a dollar!"

He rolls his eyes, all seriousness now gone, and fishes in his back pocket for a dollar, dropping it into the bowl.

"Alright, Cooper. Lay one on me."

As she leans across the desk and cups his face in her hands, the light atmosphere disappears, something more charged passing between them. She lightly presses her lips against his once, and then before she can think about it, she kisses him again, firmer this time.

Jughead makes a low noise in the back of his throat as she kisses him a third time, a lingering kiss, her tongue sweeping across the seam of his lips. As soon as his tongue touches hers she pulls back, suddenly aware of where she is and what she's doing, and who she's doing it with.

He hasn't fully opened his eyes and his mouth is slightly open, stained red from her lipstick. She starts wiping at her own mouth furiously, hoping to hide the evidence of what they just did.

"Betty-" he starts.

"I'm so sorry," she murmurs as she rushes from her desk to the bathroom.

Jughead watches her leave, fingertips pressed to his lips.

When Betty gets home that night, lipstick-free, the guilt and confusion continues to pull at her stomach.

She and Chuck are going for a nice dinner, he has something he wants to talk to her about, but she is completely unprepared for the conversation he wants to have.

 

* * *

 

She's been avoiding him for three weeks now and he's had enough. Every time he approaches her desk she dismisses him with some excuse about being too busy or an important thing she just has to get done that afternoon.

"It's ridiculous," he tells Archie, pacing in the break room. "For god's sake, we work together - she can't avoid me forever!"

Archie's head snaps up. "Wait. Has she still not told you?"

Jughead stares at him, confused. "Told me what?"

Archie exhales loudly, slumping down into his seat. He didn't want to do this.

"I told her to tell you, man. I wanted you to hear this from her."

Jughead marches over to Betty, asks her to slip into an empty meeting room with him, his whole body tensed in anger. She hasn't been alone with him in three weeks but the look on his face must tell her that this important - that she can't avoid this any longer.

"Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"

He's dangerously close to yelling but he doesn't want the whole office to know their business.

"I'm sorry, Jug. I should have something but I was scared about your reaction!"

She's not crying but there are tears in her eyes.

"You kissed me, Betty. You kissed me and then you ran away and you ignored me for three weeks. Three fucking weeks! Didn't you think I deserved to know during that time that you were moving to Florida?"

"I didn't know I was moving until after I kissed you," she says, as if it matters, as if it changes anything. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that!" His hands are pulling at his hair. "Why are you going, Betty? Why are you moving with him?"

She frowns as if the answer is obvious. "Because he's my fiancé, because he's got a job down there-"

Jughead cuts her off. "He doesn't deserve you and you know it."

She bites her lip, a single tear falling down her cheek. "There's nothing here for me, Jug. I'm in a dead-end job, my only friends are you and Archie and Veronica. My apartment is tiny, I don't have a college degree. I need a fresh start and there's nothing keeping me here."

"Stay for me."

Her eyes snap to his and she starts shaking her head.

"Juggie, it was just one kiss-"

"I'm in love with you, Betty." His hands are shaking but his voice is steady. She needs to know. "I have been for so long now, and I never said anything because you're with Chuck and I didn't think you'd ever want me back, but- but you kissed me, Betty. _You_ kissed _me_ , and if it was just one kiss you wouldn't have ran away like you did."

Betty closes the space between them, wraps her arms around him and cries softly into his neck, and he thinks this is it. This is the moment that Betty Cooper loves him back.

"I have to do this," is what she says instead, holding him tight. "I can't be in this town anymore."

Jughead doesn't cry but he does smoke four cigarettes on his way home and doesn't bother to turn on the lights in his and Archie's apartment.

When his friend walks through the door he is on the sofa, the only light in the room coming from the TV.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Archie asks when gets home, as if the sight in front of him doesn't already give him his answer.

Jughead doesn't look up.

"I told her how I felt. I asked her to stay here with me." He loosens the knot of his tie. "She said no, by the way."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is heavily inspired by The Office UK's Christmas Special. It's a solid two hours of television.
> 
> For those who haven't seen it, I would suggest watching the final scene between Tim and Dawn. It's pretty special: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KnLWRJ-FUN4

Jughead has never been a fan of Christmas. Holidays in the trailer park as a kid had never been that special, his parents barely scraping enough money together to buy him and his sister a few gifts.

The past few years he had spent it with Archie and Veronica at Archie's dad's house. He liked being surrounded by some of his favorite people and eating delicious food, but he could ever seem to muster up the same excitement as everyone else around this time of year.

But this year is different. This year, Betty Cooper is returning from Florida for the first time since she moved, and attending Dunder Mifflin's office party.

He's nervous as hell. He and Betty have exchanged the occasional email during the last nine months - he wanted to know about her new home and her new job, and he had told her about the writing classes he signed up for - and he's seen pictures on Facebook. But now she would be here, in the flesh, and he doesn't know if he's ready for it.

There is also added pressure. The whole office is involved in a Secret Santa gift exchange and of course he pulled her name. He has a gift for her; spent significantly more than their five dollar budget. He hopes she likes it and doesn't think it's a dick move.

 

* * *

 

The party has already started when she arrives. Her old co-workers are all stood around, red cups filled with alcohol in hand, and there's music playing from one corner of the room.

As far as parties go, it's pretty lame, but these are Betty's people and she's happy to be here all the same.

She had felt slightly overdressed in her short red dress but when Veronica rushes over to her, black jumpsuit sparkling in the bright office lights, she doesn't feel too bad.

"B, look at you! You're so blonde, so tan. You're a total babe," she declares, wrapping Betty up in a hug.

She knew she liked Archie's girlfriend for a reason. She smiles, "Thanks, V. You look gorgeous."

Veronica does a little twirl. "Oh, this old thing? Well someone had to brighten this place up." She pulls Betty over to where Archie is standing with Dilton. "Where's Chuck?"

"Oh, he went to see the warehouse guys downstairs." She kisses Archie on the cheek. "Hey, Arch. Merry Christmas!"

He grins. "Merry Christmas, Betty. It's good to see you."

Dilton clears his throat suddenly and leans over to kiss Betty's other cheek, face slightly flushed. "Good evening, Elizabeth."

She laughs - he's as strange as ever. Some things never change.

"Hi, Dilton."

They chat for a while - she catches them up on the last nine months of her life and they update her on what's changed in the little world of Riverdale. Not a lot, apparently. 

She knows she's distracted, not fully engaged in the conversation, but she had thought her attempts at searching the room had been more subtle. She's proven wrong when Archie leans close to her ear and says, "He's in the break room."

She forces herself not to sprint off in that direction.

Her palms feel sweaty as she enters the break room, unsurprised to find Jughead surveying the snacks in front of him. She should have known he would be where the food was.

"Hey, you."

His head snaps up, the chip in his hand falling from his fingers.

"Betty!" he says, recovering quickly, brushing his hand on his pants before he leans in to hug her. "How are you?"

His back feels solid and warm beneath her hands and he smells just the way she remembers.

"I'm good, Juggie. How are you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm great." He looks nervous, his hands twitching by his sides. "Did you see Archie and Veronica?"

"Yep, and Dilton. He was very... formal. I think he might have had a little crush on me," she admits, laughing uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well, he wasn't the only one."

Jughead looks mortified as soon as the words leave his mouth.

He rubs the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Sorry. Um... You'd be really proud of him actually. He's pranked me three times since you left."

"What? No way!" She laughs. "Good for him."

"He's really coming into his own," Jughead chuckles. "So how's life in the sunshine state?"

They settle onto the sofa and Betty grabs some snacks while they talk. Truthfully, the move hasn't been that great. She's working another reception job that pays slightly more than her old one and Chuck works long hours in his new job, spending most of his free time drinking with his friends. They don't see much of each other these days and Betty thought that would upset her but she almost feels... relieved.

Of course she doesn't tell Jughead any of this. Jughead's words have plagued her ever since their fight - _he doesn't deserve you and you know it_. The thing is, until he said it she _hadn't_ known that.

She knows Chuck can be a jerk, she isn't stupid, but whenever he would act that way she would think about the beginning of their relationship when he was the sweet, charismatic football player trying to woo the cheerleader, and she would convince herself that guy was still in there somewhere. And it's been the two of them for so long now that she'd never even considered them not being together as a possibility. 

Now she's not so sure. They really have nothing in common and she finds his douchebag tendencies more annoying than ever. The problem is, she uprooted her entire life for him - quit her job and moved to a whole other state. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit defeat. She has to give it some time, at least a year. Maybe things will get better with time.

That thought makes her feel so much better than the possibility that Betty has made a huge mistake.

"What about you?" Betty asks. "Are you still taking your writing classes?"

He nods. "I've even had a couple of articles published. Freelance, nothing huge."

She doesn't like his dismissive tone. "Jug, that's awesome. Are you going to continue doing that?"

"I'm actually hoping to do it full time. I've got a couple of job interviews lined up with some local publications."

"Juggie!" she shouts, slapping his knee in her excitement. "That's amazing! You're actually getting out there and doing what you've always wanted. I'm so proud of you."

She can see he's embarrassed and struggling to maintain eye contact. "Thanks, Betts. That means a lot."

She'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to him. Nine months had passed, and their last conversation had been awful, but being here with him now, it's like it never happened.

She's really, really missed him.

"Hey, lovebirds." Veronica appears in the doorway, smirking at them and their heads snap up. "Dilton's about to do the gift exchange."

Dilton is stood next to the small Christmas tree in the corner of the office, calling out names and passing people their gifts. Betty thanks him when she receives hers - a thin, square package that weighs almost nothing. She's about to open it when she feels the weight of Chuck's arm over her shoulder.

"Hey, babe."

She smiles up at him, accepting the quick kiss he gives her.

"Hey, Chuck. Good to see you," Jughead says beside her, holding out his hand for Chuck to shake.

They pass pleasantries back and forth and Chuck doesn't make any of his dumb, half-threatening jokes, but Betty begins to feel uncomfortable having the two men in such close proximity at the same time.

She needs a drink.

 

* * *

 

She's as beautiful as he remembers - the Florida sun did look good on her - but there's something sad behind her eyes. He doesn't like it at all. The move was supposed to be good for her, that's what she had said, it was supposed to eradicate the sadness that had crept up on her in Riverdale. But he knows Betty, and he wonders how things are really going for her down there.

He spends most of the night telling her stories about his latest pranks on Dilton, and the few times he's pranked him back, and he thinks this is the happiest she's looked all night. Head thrown back as she laughs loudly, cheeks flushed from the wine she's been drinking.

It's been almost a year since their fight and he had thought that would be more than enough time to get over her. Nine months is a long time and yeah, he was in love with her, but they were never really together. It's not like she had been his girlfriend and they'd gone through a horrible break up.

He was so fucking stupid.

He knows now, as she's standing in front of him in that goddamn red dress, that he's never going to get over her. In ten years time, he could be married with kids, and he thinks a part of him will still wonder what could have been. 

"I'm really happy you're here, Betts," he tells her, but he wants to say _I love you, please don't leave again_.

"Me, too. I'd forgotten how much I miss this place."

He raises his eyebrows. "That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear - someone actually misses Dunder Mifflin."

She smiles, and there it is again - the sadness, lurking in her eyes.

"It's the people, you know?"

Yeah, he does. He nods, "I know."

 

* * *

 

Shes on her third glass of wine when things go south. Chuck reaches out to stop her, attempting to pull the glass from her hand.

"Why don't you slow down, Betty? We don't want you embarrassing yourself tonight."

She frowns, pulling the glass from his grasp and takes a large gulp of wine. "I'm fine, Chuck. Besides, you've drank more than me. Is that you're fourth beer?"

He chuckes arrogantly. "Yeah but I can handle my booze. You can't."

He's trying to embarrass her in front of her friends and it's working her last nerve.

"Whatever," she mutters, taking another sip and turning her back to him.

She can feel Archie and Veronica watching them and Jughead is staring at something to his left, purposefully avoiding the tense scene in front of him.

Sensing that she doesn't want to be around him in that moment, Chuck leaves the group, probably to find the warehouse guys again.

"Where's Sabrina tonight?" she asks, hoping to change the subject.

"She quit three month ago," Archie responds. "Got another job in the city and moved."

"Oh, good for her," Betty comments. "Although it must suck having to travel all that way just to see her, Jug."

Jughead shrugs, burying his hands in his pockets. "We broke up before she left, that's why she took the job. We weren't that serious anyway."

"Oh."

Betty doesn't know what to say. She hadn't known Jughead was single and the information doesn't change anything but still, she hadn't expected that.

"Anyway..." Veronica cuts through the awkward silence. "When are you heading back to Florida?"

"In a few days. We're spending Christmas Day with my parents and flying back the day after."

"So soon?" Veronica sounds heartbroken. "But we won't get to spend any time together! I wanted to go shopping in the city."

"I'm sorry, V. I wanted to stay for a week but Chuck booked the tickets."

As if on cue, Chuck appears behind her, her coat in his hands.

"You ready to go, babe?"

_So he hadn't gone to find his friends._

"Already?" she asks, voice small and disappointed.

"I'm feeling kind of tired. The flight really took it out of me."

"Oh... okay. Just let me say goodbye."

She feels stricken, her time with her friends cut much shorter than she had expected. She can't believe Chuck is doing this. She knows he's trying to assert some authority over her after she dismissed him but she doesn't want to fight with him in front of them.

He leaves to grab a cab outside and she's relieved that she can say goodbye to everyone without him hovering over her shoulder.

"Well I guess this is goodbye... again." She pulls Veronica into a tight hug and then Archie, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. Tears sting her eyes but she doesn't want them to see her cry.

"We'll come visit you soon," Veronica insists, looking as sad as Betty feels.

Betty nods silently and turns to Jughead. This is going to be so much harder.

"Come here," he murmurs, wrapping her up in his arms. "Don't be a stranger, Betts. I want at least two emails a month."

She smiles and buries her face into his neck. "I'll miss you, Jug."

He pulls back, smiling sadly, and wipes one of her tears away with his thumb.

"I'll miss you, too."

Chuck is already in the cab when she makes her way outside, shouting at her impatiently to get in.

She focuses on her Secret Santa gift as the cab drives them to their hotel. She needs to focus on something or she'll start crying again.

She pulls back the corner of the poorly-wrapped gift, tearing it until the square package is open. She gasps when the item in front of her is revealed, running her fingers over the material softly.

It's a light blue apron, the front of it covered in shiny black lettering - the same lettering she doodles over diaries and notepads and any scrap of paper she can find.

 _Cooper's Cupcakes._ He kept her drawing and had this made for her. He'd kept it all this time.

"Stop the car," she says suddenly. Her cheeks feel wet but she doesn't wipe the moisture away. "Stop the car, I need to go back."

"Betty, what are you-"

"I can't do this, Chuck." She lets out a shaky breath and his confusion is written all over his face. "This isn't working - you and me in Florida. It isn't working and you know it."

He opens his mouth as if to argue but no words come out. What argument could he possibly have? The things haven't been right between them for months. He must have picked up on it.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll stay at my parent's house tonight - I'll get my stuff in the morning."

Without another word, she jumps out of the taxi, apron clutched tightly in her hand.

 

* * *

 

"You okay, man?" Archie asks, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I guess. It hurt just as much as the first time she left, but at least we ended on better terms," he reasons.

"It's okay to be upset about it," Veronica assures him.

He shrugs. "If I'm being honest, I never thought it would have a happy ending."

He drains his beer and scrubs his hand over his face. He's not in much of a partying mood anymore.

"I'm sorry, Juggie. I'll make it my New Year's resolution to find you a nice girl," Veronica promises, rubbing her hand along his arm.

He chuckles. "Thanks, Ronnie, but you really don't have to do that."

He expects Veronica to argue with him, to insist upon going against his wishes and doing what she wants anyway, but instead her mouth drops open slightly, eyes wide and focused on something over his shoulder.

"What-"

He feels a hand tug on his arm and looks behind him. Before he can make sense of what is happening, Betty is in front of him, soft hands cupping his face, even softer lips pressed to his.

Her kisses her back, because what else can he do? He doesn't understand what's happening right now but he doesn't think he'll ever be in a situation where he wouldn't kiss Betty if she wanted him to.

"Watch it. She has a fiancé!" Dilton jokes behind them as Betty deepens the kiss.

She pulls back, murmuring against his lips, "Not anymore."

He's still so lost as she pulls him away from the group and into the break room, locking the door once they're inside. She pushes him onto the couch and straddles him, red dress riding high on her thighs. His hands find purchase there, touching the smooth skin he's never had access to before.

"Betty, whats going on?" His voice is quiet, as if any loud noises will wake him from this wonderful dream.

"I love you, Juggie. I've been so stupid. I'm sorry it took me so long."

She kisses him before he can respond. Her mouth is hot and firm against his, tongue massaging his own and drawing a loud groan from him. She's grinding down into his lap, her hands tugging at his hair, and she lets out a whimper when he bites at her lip.

He pulls back, breathless, and looks up at her. She has never been as beautiful to him as she is in this moment, eyes bright and swollen lips lifted into a soft smile.

"I can't believe this is really happening."

She laughs, kisses him again quickly. "Well believe it, Jug, because I'm not going anywhere."

He grins, moves to kiss her again, but stops himself. "I love you too, by the way," he tells her, because she has to know.

She runs her hand along his jaw, looking shy and happy and so fucking gorgeous.

"I mean, I figured as much, but it's nice to hear all the same."

They stop talking then, not wanting to waste another moment where they could be making up for lost time.

Maybe Christmas isn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the response to this! It's way more than I expected


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